


Secrets beneath your heart

by SennaLaureen



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, takes place after Blood and Wine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-08-09 18:19:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7812262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SennaLaureen/pseuds/SennaLaureen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Geralt abandoned his job as a Witcher and took up residence in Corvo Bianco, occassionally taking care of monsters on the vineyards of his neighbours, as Dandelion comes to visit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I did not finish the main game yet, but finished Blood and Wine, so I'm asking not to judge my work if it somehow interferes with canonical events of the game. In this case it could be read as Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence.

Followed by the summer heat of Toussaint, Geralt could finally make out the roofs of Corvo Bianco in the darker shades of dusk. Finishing a contract in half the time, he was looking forward to a drinking night with Dandelion, who arrived two nights prior and entertained the inhabitants of vineyard with cheerful music ever since.

The music that reached Geralt's ears, as he led Roach to the stalls, wasn't cheerful, however. The melody and words intertwined to a bittersweet ballad, that pierced through the night, making the men and women open their windows and listen in awe, instead of giving themselves to sleep. Geralt couldn't recite the words, even if he tried - Dandelion's talent went beyond simple words accompanied by music, instead the entire vineyard was charmed by his magic, and Geralt was no exception. The bard was painting the air with beautiful shades of unrequited love, that laid deep beneath the heart, never to be discovered by the person it was meant for, and aching the bearer with loneliness wherever he went, unless his feet carried him to the one person he craved to be connected with, but couldn't in his lifetime.

Despite the mutations, that apparently prevent him and other Witchers from feeling, Geralt was overwhelmed by the emotions his dear friend was putting into his ballad. Dandelion was telling the story of a man - or a woman - who was crossed in love, but still found solace in the mere presence of the person they so desperately wanted to be with.

The sounds, coming from the roof of the manor, faded, and a dead silence took its place, until a woman couldn't help letting out a sob, and the spell was broken. The inhabitants of the vineyard slowly woke up from the charm, and returned to their lives, only dimply aware of the lasting effect Dandelions magic left in their hearts.

The Witcher went up to the manor, but instead of going inside he went around the building and climbed to the roof, where he found his friend, sitting with his back against the chimney, the lute in his lap, empty bottle of the most expensive wine Geralt owned next to him. Dandelion stared at the moon with glassy eyes, his expression was open and vulnerable, and... lonely.

Geralt suddenly realized, that with this ballad his friend was opening his own heart.

"Dandelion..."

Geralt didn't expect the bard to be startled so violently, and only his Witcher reflexes prevented his friend from falling from the roof and breaking his neck. He gripped the drunken man by the shoulders, trying to maintain balance, while Dandelion's strong fingers buried in Geralt's armor, and his frantic breath ghosted over the Witcher's cheek, as he overcame his initial shock.

"Geralt, it's you!..." Judging on the pronunciation the other was fairly drunk, it was a mystery how Dandelion managed to perform with such a virtuosity only a couple minutes prior. The bard's face lit up, any traces of loneliness and melancholy gone as if they never been there, replaced by cheerfulness that was so much more familiar to Geralt, and Dandelion let out a chuckle. "Geralt, c'mon, drink with me!"

Before the bard could grip the empty bottle, the Witcher pulled him to his feet. "Let's get you down, before you break your neck. We can safely drink in the house."

Luckily, Geralt knew Dandelion long enough to be able to handle his friend when he was drunk, and the two of them got down from the roof without any incidents, Geralt supporting the other man, while Dandelion happily proclaimed his intention to drink the Witcher under the table, despite already being quite intoxicated himself. Barnabas, his majordomo, was already familiar with the two of them drinking together, and brought as much wine as necessary to the main hall of the manor, and left the men to their own devices for the night.

Puzzled by the realization that Dandelion might be unhappily in love, despite his connection to Priscilla, Geralt didn't want to get drunk as much as he wanted to find out that was going inside the pretty head of his friend, and the only way to do so was staying sober, while the other man was pouring himself one drink after another. Of course, the thought that Dandelion might not want him to know his secret crossed Geralt's mind several times accompanied by guilt, but he consoled himself with the resolve that, if he is unable to help his friend, he'd take Dandelion's secret to the grave, offering discreet comfort in the meantime - merely the idea, that Dandelion might hide his sorrows behind his cheerful facade made Geralt's stomach twist.

Hours went by playing Gwent, drinking, laughing, and drinking more, and Geralt almost forgot his plan. Or rather - Dandelion beaming at him across the table almost convinced Geralt, that he was wrong - Dandelion did not sing about himself, and this incredibly emotional ballad was merely the proof of the bard's unbelievable talent to mirror and amplify other people's feelings. But as the other man truly reached the limit of his intoxication, and his head met the table between the half empty bottles of wine and cognac, the same open and vulnerable expression suddenly resurfaced on Dandelion's face. "Geralt... my dear friend...." The words were barely a whisper, the Witcher was straining his supernatural senses to catch and decipher them. "If only... I could..." Dandelion's hand unsteadily reached out to Geralt's arm, only to be met by the Witcher halfway.

"What are you talking about, Dandelion?" Geralt was been drinking during the evening, but only so much as to not raise suspicion, and was sober enough to still debate with himself, whether he really should use a dirty trick to make his best friend tell him a very personal secret, as Dandelion released him from this dilemma by falling asleep right then and there. Geralt sighed, partially in relief, partially in disappointment, and brushed the hair from Dandelion's face, regarding the other man's vulnerable and open expression.

Suddenly he was angry at himself: he almost did something, that without doubt would have endangered their friendship and hurt the man in front of him. The longer Geralt watched Dandelion sleep, the stronger grew his resolve to never do anything that would harm his friend in any way.

The first rays of sunshine, unnoticed by the best human eyes, but fully visible to the eyes of a Witcher, fell through the window, and Geralt rose from the chair. "Let's get you to a proper bed, shall we?" This proved to be difficult, because Dandelion had not only met his limits this evening, he clearly crossed them, refusing to even react in any way to Geralt trying to hold him upright by one arm. The Witcher, unsteady on his feet himself, quickly abandoned his plan, and simply carried the lifeless body of his friend to the guest bedroom like a groom would carry his bride over the threshold of their new home. Carefully lowering him on the bed, Geralt suddenly realized that one of Dandelion's hands gripped his shirt somewhere along the way, and now refused to let go, as the Witcher wanted to leave the sleeping man and withdraw to his own chamber.

"Geralt...", Dandelion regarded him sleepily from beneath his long lashes, "don't go.... stay..."

Keeping in mind, that his friend might be in a difficult emotional state, and not really able to coherently tell Geralt any secrets anymore, the Witcher decided to stay, at least for the time Dandelion needed to fully fall asleep. He sat down on the bed and took Dandelion's hand, the one that still gripped his shirt, in his own.

"I'm here, Dandelion, go to sleep."

The younger man closed his eyes, and a content smile spread across his face, as he relaxed into the pillows. "Good...." Within one second, Dandelion's mind was far away in the dreamland, the fingers finally letting go of the fabric of Geralt's shirt.

"Sleep well," Geralt couldn't suppress a smile at the sight of the peacefully sleeping man. He carefully rose to his feet, closed the curtains on the windows, and withdrew to his own chamber for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

He was dreaming, that much was clear. Geralt tenderly holding his hand could only be a wonderful dream, a product of his rich imagination and lovesick heart. He held on to that dream, refusing to wake up and face reality, where Geralt would never feel that way...

...and where he had the worst hangover of his life.

The sunbeams fought their way through the closed curtains and Dandelion turned his head to the wall, hoping in vain for the illusion to return, so that he could enjoy it for a moment longer. But now that he was halfway awake, the headache mercilessly ripped him out of the slumber, and he sat up, groaning.

The bard found himself missing most memories of the last evening, nothing unusual though. Wondering whether he made it upstairs on his own, or if Geralt, or maybe Basilius, helped him, Dandelion decided that he needed water before attempting to recall anything. At least he still was wearing his clothes.

Downstairs was only Basilius, who was about to put the last empty bottle in a box.

"Good morning, Master," Geralt's majordomo was wary towards him ever since Dandelion broke into the estate ignoring the man's protests, though the bard couldn't care less about his opinion, especially with his head threatening to crack in two any moment.

Geralt saved him from having to answer by appearing from his private room. At the sight of the Witcher Dandelion's heart skipped a beat: he wore only his trousers and a white shirt, with a low neck line, his white hair bound together to a tail.

"Good morning," his usual reserved greeting was accompanied by a warm smile directed at Dandelion. "Basilius, would you be so kind?"

Soon the table in the main hall was decked with exquisite breakfast.

"How is your head?" Geralt seemed to be more considerate than usual, but Dandelion shrugged it off as his wishful thinking, his imagination, which often played tricks on him, making him think that maybe Geralt could one day accept his advances...

But no, these thoughts, they were of no use. He was the Witcher's best friend, just as Geralt was his, no matter that his stupid heart longed for.

"I'm going to Beauclair today, do you wish to accompany me?" Dandelion tore himself out of his thoughts, and nodded.

"Yes, I'd like to. But... what about the death sentence Henrietta inflicted on my persona?" Dandelion knew very well that the Duchess meant every syllable, and while here, on Corvo Bianco, he was save, it was a completely different matter to be surrounded by Henrietta's loyal Knights and guards.

Geralt chuckled. "If Henrietta's lackeys even manage to recognize you, I guarantee you that my word to Henrietta would suffice and she will let you go. Trust me."

Beauclair was a beautiful city, with fine wine and exquisite music, and ever since Dandelion was denied the entry under penalty of death, he regretted having ever be involved with the Duchess. Now, that he was given a chance to return there and see again the wonders of Toussaint's capital, he wasn't going to pass on that. And for the death penalty - he trusted Geralt with his life, and today was no exception.

The bard didn't even notice how a bright smile appeared on his face at the prospect of visiting Beauclair. "I'm going to prepare the horses."

~~~

"So, I was thinking, when do you plan to return to Novigrad?"

The question hit Dandelion full force, tearing him from the happy cloud he was on all day.

They led their horses through the beautiful landscape colored in all shades of red, as the sun was setting behind the castle. The visit to Beauclair was... heavenly. They arrived in the city before midday, and left only short of dusk, first having a nice dinner in the pheasantry, and then celebrating with the citizens on the market place. Geralt didn't leave Dandelion's side, his soothing presence making the bard forget his worries and lose himself in the illusion that Geralt was here with him, not as his best friend, but as....

As much as the day was great, so brutally was Dandelion flabbergasted by the question, and his heart sunk. "Am I already burdening you, my friend?" his tone was light and humorous, hiding his disappointment.

"No, I was just curious as to when to start missing you."

At these words Dandelion looked up to see a warm and genuine smile on Geralt's lips, the smile he came to love so much, and he felt relief washing over him - he wasn't unwelcome, not yet at least. The thought of being a burden to Geralt was unbearable.

"I don't know... there aren't any immediate matters that would call me back north. I was hoping to enjoy the warm weather a little longer."

"What about _Chameleon_ , though?"

The subject seemed to be unavoidable now. "Well, it doesn't exactly belong to me anymore, Geralt."

"What?!",  the Witcher stopped his horse and looked at him in disbelief. "What happened? Are you in trouble? Did anything happen?" _Do you need my help?_ was not been spoken, but it was clearly heard between the lines.

"No, it's not like that. I signed it over to Priscilla, and I'm confident that it is in good hands now." It was the first time the name of Dandelion's former lover came up since he came here, and he didn't know whether to keep the break between him and Priscilla a secret, or to share it with his friend. Even though he was honest with Priscilla and the following inevitable end of their relationship was by mutual agreement, it still hurt that he couldn't give her that she deserved, and Dandelion craved to share the burden with someone. But sharing it meant also having to explain the reason why he and Priscilla went separate ways now, and Geralt of all people wasn't meant to find that out. Ever.

The Witcher seemed to sense the tension that came up as Dandelion mentioned the woman. "So, you share the responsibility over _Chameleon_ with her, then?"

The bard averted his gaze. "We are no longer affiliated with each other, Geralt. She has the full ownership over the cabaret and I decided to leave Novigrad and try my luck somewhere else."

Suddenly he felt Geralt's hand on his shoulder, and looked up. The Witcher led Roach close to Dandelion's horse, and regarded him with heartfelt sympathy. The bard felt his cheeks turn red at the close proximity. "I'm sorry. You and Priscilla,... what made you go separate ways?"

Looking into Geralt's eyes, Dandelion couldn't bring himself to lie, but he couldn't tell him the truth either. He settled for a half-truth. "My heart lies with another."


	3. Chapter 3

Geralt was absentmindedly taking care of Roach after they returned to Corvo Bianco, his thoughts occupied with that his friend told him.

He was right on his assumption, after all: Dandelion was singing about himself the other day. But who was the person Dandelion was in love with, and why did he think it was hopeless? After years travelling around and involuntarily participating in many fates, Geralt witnessed enough to say that there is almost always hope, as long as one fought for his love, and Dandelion was one of the very few people Geralt wished a happily ever after upon.

He should have asked Dandelion right there and then, but the bard seemed so resigned and dejected when the issue came up, Geralt couldn’t bring himself to dig deeper into the wound. Instead he let Dandelion his space, and stayed at the stalls, while the other wordlessly left his own horse to be tended to by the stable boy and went to the house.

“Welcome home,” Basilius tore the Witcher from his thoughts. He held a piece of paper in his hands. “I hope You and Your guest had a good day in Beauclair. While You were gone, a messenger from the Belgaard vineyard arrived and left a letter for you from Master Liam de Coronata and Mistress Matilda Vermentino,” with these words majordomo handed the envelope over to Geralt.

The letter was sealed with the sigil of Belgaard vineyard. The Witcher broke it and read an invitation to the wedding of Liam and Matilda. Finally, the Witcher thought, took them only half a year to make it official. The wedding was a great chance to lift Dandelion’s spirit, after Geralt managed to ruin such a wonderful day for him; on the other hand…. Geralt frowned. Would Dandelion want to go to the celebration or would the happy newlyweds remind him of his troubles instead?…

Barnabas coughed, catching Geralt’s attention again. “I should take my leave, if You are not in need of anything else. There is a minor issue I have to take care of.”

Geralt nodded. “Thank you. You can go.” Right before Barnabas disappeared in the direction of the housings, Geralt’s Witcher instinct took over. “Barnabas!” 

The majordomo immediately turned around. “Yes, Master Geralt?” 

“What is the issue you have to deal with?” 

“It is really just a minor inconvenience, Sir, You don’t need to worry…”

“Just tell me what’s the problem?”

Barnabas nodded. “As You wish. One of the peasants disappeared, a young man. He was working in the greenhouse, had a talent for plants. Yesterday, his mother contacted me, informing me about his disappearance. Usually, I would just hire another, and leave the investigations to guardsmen, but he was really a talented gardener, and I’d wish to find him.” 

Geralt frowned. "And you didn't think that as the owner of the vineyard I might be interested in this matter?"

The Witcher's tone wasn't harsh, but Barnabas' expression still changed immediately and he bowed his head. "I apologize, Master Geralt. I misjudged the situation."

Geralt waved his hand, indicating that he wasn't mad - he still haven't got used to the obedience Barnabas and the other workers met him with. "I come along, see if this is a serious problem." Majordomo only bowed his head again and showed the way.

~~~

"My son would never run away from me, something must have happened to him!" The first words Geralt was greeted with, as the woman led them into her house, were so familiar to what he heard all around the world right before he accepted a monster contract, that his Witcher senses were instantly on alert.

"Please, tell me where you have seen your son for the last time."

"The day before yesterday, in the morning. He left for the greenhouse, as usual, but he didn't come home midday, even though I told him that I'd make his favorite dinner. And in the evening no trace of him," the old woman was fidgeting with her cloth, restlessly looking out of the window as if she expected her wayward son to climb through it and ease her fears.

"Did your son mention something unusual, did he do something strange before he disappeared?"

The woman vehemently shook her head. "No, nothing. Everything was normal up until he didn't come home for dinner."

Geralt threw a glance towards his majordomo: the man was a professional, but the Witcher could see that he didn't know what to do in this situation, unlike himself. He rose to his feet, meeting the woman's hopeful look. "I'll do my best to find your son." With these words Geralt turned around and gestured Barnabas to follow.

It was already dark outside, and Geralt turned to the other man. "Go back to the house and don't open the door to anyone, including me. And check for Dandelion, just make sure he is still there. I should be back before dawn."

Barnabas couldn't hide his bewilderment. "Sir, do you really think it's a monster? Could the man have just taken off on his own?"

"I don't know, Barnabas, but I know Toussaint, and I know that it's always better to be safe than sorry."

The majordomo contented himself with the short answer and hurried back towards the house, while the Witcher went to the last place the missing man was thought to have been according to the woman: the greenhouse. His instincts screamed in alarm, while his common sense accused him of acting ridiculous and unreasonable, but Geralt didn't want to risk anything, especially while Dandelion was his guest. It would be quite a laugh, if a Witcher wasn't able to protect his friend from a monster in his own house.

As expected, there were many traces from at least four different people working at the greenhouse. Geralt strained his Witcher senses to make out anything unusual, but a whole working day between the disappearance and now reduced all his efforts to nothing. He'd have to come back in the morning and talk to the workers, maybe someone has seen something that day.

Geralt went back to the mansion across the deserted vineyard. The main entrance was locked, but the moment he used his key, the door was opened from the inside, revealing a very upset Barnabas. Both relief and disappointment were mixed on his face.

"Sir, thank the stars! The viscount, he didn't want to listen, said he needed good vine!... And went to the wine cellar all by himself, after I told him that Your wish for us was to stay inside!..."

Geralt's heart sunk. "And you let him go?!"

The other man seemed even more upset now. "He didn't listen! Viscount was already drunk, said he didn't fear monsters, followed by something philosophical! We need to find him!"

"No, you stay here!" Geralt crossed the main hall to the nearest weapon stand and grabbed a sword. There was no time to put on an armour, though, so Geralt hoped that he frightened his majordomo for nothing and Dandelion would return any second and laugh at him for all eternity. This scenario was definitely preferable to the prospect of facing a monster in his ordinary clothes.

Typical of Dandelion to get in trouble, while spewing some philosophical shit! Geralt decided he was going to beat the stupid bard to death, if the monster didn't get to him first!

The Witcher took a shortcut to the wine cellar by swinging over the fence, his senses trying to catch something, anything - but apart from his steps the night was dead silent. Reaching the entrance, the Witcher rushed downstairs, only to find the cellar empty. His heart hammered against his ribs, as he looked closely everywhere for a sign of his friend's presence. Suddenly, Barnabas' words popped up in Geralt's mind: _said he needed good wine_. The Witcher forced himself to concentrate for one second to come up with Dandelion's favorite wine, Fiorano 1272. These wine barrels were on the other side of the cellar. Running towards them, Geralt could already make out something on the ground: it was a lantern. Right next to it... his heart skipped a bit: two drops of blood.


End file.
